Maritz Rebellion

The Maritz Rebellion occurred from 15 September 1914 to 4 February 1915 when Afrikaner Boer nationalists in South Africa rose in rebellion against the United Kingdom in an attempt to re-create the independent "South African Republic" (which had been conquered by the British during the Second Boer War). The rebellion, backed by the German Empire amid World War I, was suppressed with a limited loss of life, with 101 British soldiers being killed or wounded and 124 Boers being killed. The rebels were treated with leniency, leading to the peaceful reintegration of many of the rebellious Boers and the acceptance of British rule.

History
During World War I, Britain had a potentially valuable source of troops in South Africa. Although the dominion's prime minister, Louis Botha, was an Afrikaner who had fought the British in the Second Boer War, he wholeheartedly supported the war against Germany. But not all Afrikaners were of the same mind. Making contact from neighboring German South West Africa, the Germans encouraged discontent among the Afrikaners to flare into open revolt. In early October, Solomon Maritz, a colonel in the South African Defense Force, and Boer War hero Christiaan de Wet declared a rebellion. They sought to make South Africa an independent republic.

But Botha and his defense minister, Jan Smuts, handled the situation with skill. Using loyal troops, they mounted a series of operations that defeated the rebel forces by January 1915. The rebels were on the whole treated leniently, with widespread amnesties. Opponents of the government returned to political channels of dissent, and South African troops became available for British operations.